Inner Demons
by FlameintheFlood
Summary: The 2nd fall of the Dark Lord was two years ago and Hermione's life is good and busy. But when they finally capture a certain Blonde Pureblood her life changes. Malfoy is, well, nice, except when he is a complete evil creep, that is. ON HOLD. Sorry :
1. 1 Knock 'em Out

AN: Hey, this is my first multiple chapter fanfic!! Tell me if you see anything I could improve on! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter... Books. They sit on my top shelf. I donnot own the content of them, sadly enough. JKR, You are my hero.

Now, onto...

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Inner Demons

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Chapter One

Knock 'em out

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Exhausted and elated, the young woman with bushy, brown hair ordered another drink. Her peachy skin glowed with sweat and exhilaration. Beside her at the bar was a redhead wearing a purple sequined halter-top with a black mini skirt and big purple boots.

"Wow, Gins, thanks for pulling me away from my studies. It's been so long since I've had non-university-related fun."

Ginny smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm pretty much amazing. But, Hermione, in all honesty, I swear that since Voldemort never got around to killing you, your end would prolly be something similar to suffocating on book dust."

"I admit," Hermione said laughing. "I do feel kinda lost now that I don't have anymore homework or classes. At least I can help out Harry and the Ministry more now."

"Or," Ginny teased. "You could get a _life!_"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond but, before she could speak, a man across the club had caught her attention. It wasn't because he was amazingly hot (although he was), it was his unpleasant familiarity. A couple of girls wearing, well, not much of anything, were grinding up against him. Of course. Their fingers ran through his white-blonde hair and he smirked in a delighted and annoyingly sexy way. Again, of course.

"What are you staring at?" Ginny followed Hermione's eyes across the room. "Wow. What is Draco Malfoy doing in a _muggle_ _club_? And what is with the presumably _muggle_ bimbos?"

Hermione didn't answer; she was too busy gawking at her archenemy.

Ginny continued oblivious to Hermione's blank expression, "Isn't he afraid he'll get his designer robes dirty? I mean, come on now, Malfoy" she paused, startled by a sudden thought. "Is it me or is he considerably sexier than when we last saw him? Ew, tell me I didn't actually just say that."

Hermione had to admit that Ginny was understating when she said sexy. Malfoy was positively gorgeous. Her eyes followed the movement of his body in a thoughtless daze.

"Hello? Hermione? Too many cocktails?"

Ginny's voice, and all sound for that matter had melted into a slurpy unimportant sound in Hermione's head. Blonde hair was falling over his perfect forehead and small droplets of sweat were forming above his upper lip. His pale hand rose to wipe it away. The people around him had transformed into merely annoying blurs of color tarnishing the perfect image.

"Hermione! Snap out of it!" Ginny jabbed her cheek. Finally Hermione jerked out of the trance and her brain came back to her in full hurtle.

"What the hell?! I read in the _Profit_ that the Malfoys were supposed to have fled to somewhere in the Mediterranean or something… Why are we just sitting here? Harry is gonna' love this!" Hermione focused 150 on her duties, if only to ignore the fact that a stupid ferret had melted her mind. "We will get to find out where his family is! Sure, Narcissa is off the hook for the most part, but-"

"Lucius Malfoy! Oh this is great!" Ginny interrupted. She put her engagement ring up to her mouth. Speaking into it she said, "DE4 is 20 ft away from me. At 'Nultre's Home of Dance' three blocks from Bayswater station. He's alone and stationary."

Harry's voice sounded silently from the beautiful diamond on Ginny's ring finger, "Do not alert him to your presence. Make sure he doesn't leave the club. Permission to hex him if completely necessary. I'll send reinforcements. That includes me by the way. I love you. Out."

Ginny beamed. "Let's dance." Hermione laughed as the spunky redhead pulled her across the floor toward Malfoy. While they were "dancing" behind a large muggle, Hermione pulled out her wand and turned herself and Ginny into blondes.

"There, he won't look twice now."

The two girls danced with four people between themselves and Malfoy. They wouldn't let him leave their sight, not that this was difficult as he seemed content to dance with the bimbos for quite some time.

"Where are you?" Ginny whispered into her ring, trying to pull it off as some bizarre dance move.

"Look behind you, by the door," Harry's voice answered them. The girls glanced behind them to see Harry Potter and two other Aurors with him. Ginny winked at them and danced her hand up to her ear. Hermione didn't want to miss anything so she danced her head closer to hear.

"Do you think you could get DE4 out of sight of muggles?" asked Harry.

"Doubt it," Hermione answered him. "We could just follow him when he leaves though. He doesn't seem too dangerous right now so we can probably wait."

"What about those muggle girls he's dancing with?" Ginny hissed. "I do NOT trust him with their lives or their willing virtue!"

"Good point, love. We'll just have to stun him and modify witnesses memories," Harry agreed excitedly. But just as Hermione and Ginny pull out their wands, two muggle men pulled away Draco's dance partners. Hermione assumed Malfoy would kill the men and take the girls in a second so she raised her wand. "_Stupif-_"

"No! Look, he's just going to get a drink." It was true, Malfoy looked peaceful and he sat down at the bar.

"We got it," Ginny said to her fiancé via her ring. With their blonde hair curtaining their faces, the sat close to runaway DeathEater#4. His sharp voice rang through the music.

"So, what should I order to drink?" Compared to Malfoy's usual snarl, Hermione thought his voice sounded kinda and good hearted.

'_Huh? Not our Malfoy, surely.'_

"Well, want one of our originals, or something more familiar?" The bartender asked.

"Gve me something I've never had." Draco answered.

"Hmm, one for risks, are we?" The bartender, who Hermione knew to be named Nultre, pried. Hermione imagined his eyes were etched with wisdom and insight. She wondered how many people had come to drown their sorrows in music and liquor in this club. But, sadly Hermione couldn't see the bartenders eyes as he was wearing sunglasses. She though that was odd as it was already dimly lit in the club.

"Hey, Gins, why do you think the bartender is wearing sunglasses?"

"Huh? Oh," laugh "he's prolly high and doesn't was anyone to be able to tell. Crazy muggles." Ginny shook her head fondly.

"You're just like you Dad, Ginny!" Hermione laughed and Draco Malfoy had his second shot of a black liquid. "You love muggles a little too much!"

"Yeah, well you love your muggle parents!" Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Besides, my Dad doesn't know a thing about muggle drugs."

Hermione scolded Ginny playfully and they continued to be inconspicuous

while Malfoy conversed with Nultre.

Hermione's eyes started to droop and her mind kept wandering to insignificant things. She kept hoping Malfoy would just leave so they could capture him and she would get some shut-eye. It had been weeks since she'd slept more than 6 hours at night. She had had so much going on what with her Junior-year studying at London University of Magic. Not only was she trying to do a double major (Politics and Transfiguration- focus on disguise) and a Potions minor, but she was also helping out with the search for runaway Death Eaters.

Harry was 2nd Head Auror under Kingsley Shaklebolt and Ginny had just finished her 2 year training as well. The main focus in the Auror Department was tracking the Death Eaters that escaped after the fall of the Dark Lord three years ago. The whole Ministry of Magic was in a state of reconstruction, and Harry, our favorite hero, was a huge part of this.

Ginny elbowed Hermione and gestured at Malfoy who was finally leaving the club. Hermione chided herself for not paying attention and she followed Malfoy. The two girls where pulling out there wands as soon as they exited the club. On the other side of Malfoy was Harry, looking triumphant with his wand out and two inches away from Malfoy's chest. Two more Aurors stood adjacent to Harry with their wands at the ready as well. Malfoy was thoroughly surrounded.

"Well, damn." Draco addressed Harry. "Guess I always figured I'd get captured by you, Potter. I'm not even surprised that you were in a muggle club."

"Drop your wand and put your hands on your head. You are being taken into safe hold by the Ministry of Magic. It is your right to remain silent. You have the right to a fair hearing and will be kept in custody in a holding chamber of the Ministry-" Ginny spoke with authority, but Malfoy acted as though she was just an old acquaintance offering him tea.

"Why, it's the young Weasley girl. Can't say I like the blonde hair on you… of course, red wasn't much better… and oh my lord! It's a mudblood! The stench gave it away Grang-"

"Stupify!" Hermione hissed. Malfoy's body fell to the pavement with a thud. "That was satisfying."

"Hermione!" Harry glared at her. "I never thought I'd be the one telling you to follow the rules. You know we aren't really supposed to hex them unless their being dangerous!"

"I felt perfectly entitled," Hermione sniffed. "I've given him the benefit of the doubt before. I know better now. He's a Malfoy of _course_ he's dangerous."

Harry tried to look stern but when he caught Ginny's amused eye he gave up and smiled. "Fine, I guess you were entitled." He turned to the other two Aurors, "You can go home now, thank you for being so prompt in answering my patronus. Good night."

The Aurors took their leave and Harry turned to his best friend and fiancé. "Hermione, why don't you bring Malfoy to the holding chambers. Sorry, I know you're probably tired, but I need Ginny to speak to those girls he was dancing with. Ginny, love, can you see if they know anything?"

"Sure," Ginny sniggered. "I doubt they know anything other than whether or not Malfoy is good in bed though."

"Ginny!" The other two gasped.

"Right, right, I'm going." She danced back into the club. Hermione bent down to bind Malfoy more securely. Her nose wrinkled in distaste.

"_I_ smell bad? God, Malfoy smells like he's been eating black liquorish mixed with dog crap!"

Harry looked at Hermione with sympathy.

"Sorry, but I should go question the bartender. You got it under control?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"See ya, 'Mione"

"G'night"

Then Harry was gone and Hermione was alone with an unconscious Draco Malfoy.

"Great…" Hermione muttered as she apperated to the holding chambers with Draco. She helped the guard, Henri, Levitate him to a cell.

"Could you lie him on the cot Ms Granger, ma'am? Henri asked. "I'll just wait here by the door, I can see Yaxley from here…. Can't go unwatched that one."

"Yes, of course." Hermione floated Draco over to the cot and gently let him down. Quickly, she undid his ties and then covered him in a cheap polyester blanket.

"I'm so glad they've got these new chambers for criminals to stay in before they're proven guilty at their hearings." Henri said from the hall.

"Yes, well, I think Malfoy may be a different story completely. I mean, we don't think he ever actually tortured or killed anyone willingly. Plus, he was so young." Hermione said thoughtfully. "He will also most likely prove very useful to us. His own house was used as headquarters after all."

"He wasn't that young," Henri disagreed. "Same as you ma'am, when you and Mr. Potter were out saving us all, he was holding the most terrifying and evil wizard known to earth."

Hermione smiled but didn't answer. It was strange looking at Malfoy's face when it wasn't glaring or sneering. He was so pale, especially if he had been down near Italy, and his hair was damp with sweat from dancing. It was almost as though he was sick, except that his skin was glowing white as opposed to being pasty. He had looked like a very healthy man while he was grinding at the club.

Lying unconscious, Malfoy looked vulnerable, almost sweet. Maybe it was Hermione's maternal instincts but without thinking, she brushed his hair out of his face.

"Well, I can take it from her ma'am." Henri said, startling Hermione out of her thoughts.

"Oh, of course." Hermione walked away from the cot and out of the cell. Thank you, Henri. Goodnight."

Hermione left the holding chambers and apperated to her flat. Without bothering to change she plopped onto her bed. She was out cold before she could pull the blankets over herself. One image managed to flash into her mind before she was completely passed out though. An image of a beautiful pale angel with white blonde hair, lying on a cot.


	2. But, Honestly

Disclamer: Harry Potter is not mine. It's Jo's.

Thanks to **KaraSays, xxxxcrazychickxxxx, **and **Ms.Reinvented** for reviewing!!

I love you, Leah, my awesome beta and amazing sister. Thanks!

and on to...

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Chapter Two

But, Honestly

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The young man's head was pounding when he woke up to harsh florescent lights. It took him a moment to realize where the hell he was. It seamed just like another one of his nightmares, the one where he was discovered by Potter as opposed to the one where the Dark Lord came back to life again. Draco squeezed his eyes shut and attempted to wake up. This obviously didn't work, so he continued to pinch himself, hard. When this also failed to wake him up, he looked around the room. One wall was made up of bars and assumedly magical barriers. The other three where dirty white concrete that matched the floor and ceiling.

"Bugger!" Draco rolled off his cot and ran to the wall, which he desperately banged his aching head against. "Wake up! Potter did NOT catch you! They did NOT find you in a muggle dance club! You were NOT dancing! And it was NOT with muggle scum that you were grinding! Wake up damnit!"

"Whatcha' doin'?" A large, deeply tanned man walked into view outside the bars. "Stop or I'll have to immobilize you again. It'd be a hassle to put you back on the cot."

"Who are you?" Draco asked, sitting back down on his cot. "Oh right. Guard. That would make sense as I apparently AM in prison. Shite." "Yeah, I'm the guard; you can call me Henri. Me or my staff will be bringing you meals three times a day," the man who called himself Henri said. Draco didn't answer. He figured that this wasn't Azkaban, which meant that a lot had changed since he'd went into hiding 3 years ago. If Draco had been found those days he would've been sent straight to Azkaban. This, of course, would have been rather pointless as the Dementors are rather faulty prison-guards

"I probably won't be able to get out of here, right?" Draco asked Henri.

"Now, wha' kind of holding chambers would these be if we couldn' hold you in?"

"The kind I wish I was in…" Draco didn't ask what the hell holding chambers where because he had already given away too much about how little he knew about the current British Ministry of Magic. Draco tried to think back to what he had learned last night, but alas, this was difficult, as he had been sort of drunk. Hadn't Weasley said something about right to a fair hearing? _Fair my arse. _He knew he stood no real chance with the famous Harry Potter against him.

"Would you like breakfast before or after you're questioned?" Henri asked.

"Coffee, now," Draco demanded absentmindedly. Henri raised his eyebrows at being addressed like a servant but passed the order onto a lady in his staff.

"Malfoy, you will speak to me with respect," He informed Draco. "You may 'ave been an elite, pureblood Death Eater, but now you are regarded by most as lil' more 'an filth. The brand on your arm's no longer a sign of pow'r, but a symbol o' weakness, and a skull is just an empty case where a brain used t' be and the snake protruding from it's filthy mouth is jus' another kind o' vermin. Mr. Potter is arriving soon to start the interrogation, so I recommend you prepare yourself. He seemed rather excited about this when he gave himself the task."

_Draco looked up at Henri, his eyes gleaming with fury. His neck arched back and he jutted his chin violently toward the shocked guard. Impatience and anger made his body shake. It felt as if a demon was hatching in his chest. He didn't care who he hurt and it was probable that if he destroyed the universe he wouldn't feel a drop of remorse._

"_You pathetic blood-traitor! Nobody speaks to me like that! You are the scum of this planet and will be squashed. You will speak when spoken to and when you open that pit in your face the sounds that come out will have respect and awe expressed in their every syllable. Where the hell is my coffee? A Malfoy never waits!" Draco instinctively reached for his wand, but, of course, it had been taken from him. "Where the hell is my wand?! Accio wand! You foul, useless piece of-"_

Draco stopped mid-sentence. He blinked a few times and responded to Henri as though he had not just blown up. "Sure, Henri, whatever, I'll tell Potter what I know."

The lady who had left to get coffee ran into Draco's line of view, with coffee splashed on her uniform. Her eyes were wide and looked like she might have been about to cry. "Here is the coffee, sir. Sorry about the wait I'll be quicker next- "

"Don't apologize Lynn. Malfoy here was very rude, you did nothing wrong." Henri interrupted her kindly. She nodded, handed her boss the coffee and rushed off.

"What's her deal?" Draco asked confused.

Henri turned back to Draco with a furious look on his face. "What did I just tell you about respecting me? Lynn is _not_ your servant and she also will be treated well, do you understand?"

"Yeah, sure, I know that," Draco answered confused. He had no idea what he was supposed to have done. "Can I please just have my coffee now? I'm still kinda hung over from last night and banging my head against the wall and being stunned and everything."

Henri glared but gave him the coffee. "That is how you ask for things. Pleases and Thank-yous."

"Thank you sir." Draco sipped the coffee and fought the urge to gag. The nasty coffee had him vowing never to diss starbucks again. "When is Potter getting here?"

"I'm here," Harry Potter said as he appeared next to Henri with a loud popping sound. "Could you lead DE4 to the interrogation room, Henri? Thanks."

Draco found himself being pulled out of his cell, down the hall and pushed into a comfortable room. Potter crossed him and sat in the far end of the room on a huge armchair. Draco awkwardly followed suit, sitting across from his least favorite person in the world.

"So, Malfoy, would you care to tell me where you've been these last three years?" Potter asked in a practiced calm voice.

"Not particularly," Draco answered honestly.

"Too bad. We have Legilemense and a large stock of veriteserum. We are going to know everything, no matter whether or not you give us the information willingly."

Draco winced at the unpleasantness of having no choice. "It's a long, dull story. I know _you_ don't have the patience. And really, shouldn't you be off signing autographs or being interviewed or something?"

"We have time," Potter is cruel.

"Well, I don't. I off." Draco started to get up but realized he couldn't exactly just walk away. "Well… maybe I can't exactly leave, but I don't have to talk. Freedom of silence and all that."

"Being difficult?" Potter got out his wand and twirled it and grinned. "Sounds like fun."

"Over the whole nobility thing, are we?" Draco tested the water. "Isn't against the chivalrous code to attack someone without a weapon or something?"

Potter just grinned wider and raised his wand. As surprised as Draco was at this very Slytherin-acting Golden Boy, he wasn't an idiot, so he started to speak.

"Fine, we were in Italy and then in Greece. My mother made sure we were staying in beautiful palaces. Then a week ago I came back here. I didn't like the sun all the time. Besides, I'm 21 and really shouldn't be living with my parents." Draco sneered. "Happy?"

"No. Where is your father?"

_"Gee, I don't know. Has the 'youngest seeker in a century' failed to seek him out? No way!" Draco knew that being immature wasn't going to get him anywhere, but Potter tended to bring out the obnoxious and jealous 11 year old in him. "You're so great, thinking you can do anything you want, just because you're the little boy who lived! Well I'm not afraid of you Pott-"_

"I'm sorry Potter, I don't know where he is. It's possible he is in Italy still, with my mom. But he might be looking for me. My mother is probably a nervous wreck not knowing where I am." As Draco said this he felt guilty for leaving his mother alone. She had given and saved his life after all. "You won't punish my mother will you? Without her you would've died and so would've all your friends."

"She may have changed," Harry Potter said, looking at Malfoy strangely. "But you obviously still have the same annoying faults you had when you were younger. Hermione doubts whether you are completely evil, but then again she thought you were innocent in our 6th year too, didn't she."

"Why do you think I haven't changed too?" Draco asked.

"I'm still kind of reeling over your comment earlier. You have no idea how hard it is to track every single Death Eater." Potter said, confusing Draco. "You had no right to speak to me like that in school and you have less right to now."

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Potter" Draco said deciding it didn't matter. "Anyways, I can tell you where Blaise Zabini is if you havn't found him yet. He is staying in Central Hostel in Italy. He had been coming back to ask for my help avoiding you. I guess I won't be much a help now though. I know you have Goyle, right?"

Potter nodded taking notes on Blaise's whereabouts. Draco felt a twinge of regret having to betray his friend, but got over it quickly.

"Where is Goyle now?" Draco asked hoping for the worst. _Draco would never trust that stupid git again. "Is he dead? I hope so. I would've killed him myself if I'd had the chance."_

_"Calm down Draco, he's not dead. He is in-" Harry answered._

_Draco interrupted him with a pained yell. It hurt so much that his only true friends had lost such faith in him. That those stupid oafs had thought he was over, that he wasn't worth following. When had he EVER shown them the wrong path? He wanted to hurt them back. He wanted them to burn in flames"_

"Malfoy? What's wrong?" Potter asked a blinking Draco.

"Why would you care? I'm fine." Draco was so confused with all the stupid over-reactions of people today and what was with Potter giving a damn?

"Are you sure? You don't want any water or something?" Potter asked looking shocked at Draco's response.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Draco reassured him.

"Ok…. Um… Goyle is in Azkaban. Life sentence. Turns out he killed two people." Draco was not surprised.

"I'll continue questioning. Have you been an active murderer since Voldemort died?" Potter asked.

Draco winced. He really hated the fact that he could be described as a murderer legitimately. His eyes stared at Potter's forehead but then shifted, ashamed to look at his famous scar, down toward his eyes and finding solace in his left ear. Mouth dry, he finally nodded.

"Once."

"Who?" Potter asked pen to paper.

"Pansy Parkinson." Draco studied the red curtains as Potter tried to digest that.

"Why?" He finally asked, "Wasn't she your girlfriend?"

"Got carried away I guess… lost control." Draco said softly as shame and self-hate washed through him. "She was annoying. Hurting women never used to bug me. It's how I was raised. I guess I'm not proud of it. Now I'm going to have to fight that part of me forever.

Potter was silent as he put his notepad away. He looked almost afraid, not the 'I'm in a room with a murderer' kind of scared. Draco definitely detected a 'I'm in a room with a crazy person' kind of scared. He closed questioning and Henri led Draco back to his cell. The harsh lights in the cell burnt his eyes and the dampness collected on his skin. Draco actually wished that Potter was still there just so that he wouldn't have to stay in his cell. It was a bad feeling in Draco's gut that gave him something to do for the next hour alone, brood.

Draco wasn't crazy, was he? He wasn't dangerous anymore, right? He'd buried those parts of himself deep down long ago, hadn't he?

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